Four Formula 1 teams will field reserve drivers in first practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, as the regulation requiring every car to cede one FP1 session per season to a rookie reaches the midway point of the campaign.
The biggest name sitting out is McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who will hand the MCL40 — fitted with a significant upgrade package for the Budapest weekend — to Italian reserve Leonardo Fornaroli. The 21-year-old Formula 2 driver, who previously impressed the Woking squad during testing duties, earns his second FP1 outing of the season. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has indicated the team is exploring additional FP1 opportunities for Fornaroli with other outfits as the Italian continues to build his F1 credentials.
At Cadillac, American Colton Herta continues his push toward a full-time F1 seat by replacing Valtteri Bottas. The Formula 2 championship contender previously drove for Cadillac in Barcelona earlier this season, deputising for Sergio Pérez. With F2 also racing in Hungary this weekend and qualifying scheduled shortly after FP1, Herta will face a tight turnaround before switching back to his championship duties.
Haas has called on veteran Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa, who steps in for Oliver Bearman. The 32-year-old — a two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner with Toyota — made his first FP1 appearance of the season in Austria when he replaced Esteban Ocon. This weekend marks his second outing for the American squad as Haas continues to rotate its reserve driver pool.
Alpine completes the list of changes, with Franco Colapinto making way for Estonian reserve Paul Aron. The Mercedes junior driver makes his third FP1 appearance of the season, although this is his first for Alpine after being loaned to Audi for both Barcelona and Austria earlier in the year. Aron has impressed in Formula 2 this season and will be hoping to catch the eye of Alpine's leadership.
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend represents the final round before F1's mandated summer shutdown, giving these four young drivers a crucial opportunity to log mileage and impress team bosses ahead of the 2027 driver market. With several top teams still finalising their long-term line-ups, strong performances in FP1 could have implications beyond this weekend.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101547/1/full-list-f1-drivers-replaced-hungarian-gp-fp1-rookies-step
